Ruffling sewing-machine.



No. 783,694. PATENTED PEB. 28, 1905. F. J. HUDSON.

RUPFLING SEWING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION IILED SEPTA 24,1903.

2 BHEBTS-SHEBT 1.

4 `l A t No. 783,694. PATENTED FEB.28,1905. i F. J. HUDSON.

RUFPLING SEWING MACHINE.

APPLIGATIDN ILED SEIT. 24, 1903.

2 BHEETS-EEEET 2.

STATEs FRANK J. HUDSON,

OF WEEDSPORT,

Patented February 21B, 1.905.

NEW YORK, ASSltiNOlt OF UNE-NATA? T() CARL L. BENNETT, (1F VVEICDSPORT, NEW YORK.

iiiUFFLlNGm SEWlNG-IVIACiWliNEm SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. "'gll, dated February 2B, 1905.

Application ned sammler 24, 1903. sei-ia No. 174,402.

To r//ZZ whom, 11b nt/ty] concern:

Be it known that AI, FRANK J. HUnsoN, oi. VVeedsport, in the county oi Cayuga, in the State oit New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in ltutiiing Sewing-Ma chines, oi' which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in ruii'ling sewing-1nachines.

The object is to provide a simple and etlicient ruliiing device which is operatively connected to and actuated by the needle-bar of the machine, whereby a ruiiie may be formed and simultaneously stitched to the body of a garment and a facing or cover stitched over the head or' the ru'tiie, all in the same operation.

Another object is to permit the use of various turning and hemming devices in connecn tion with the ruiiier, so that the ruffle may be joined to the edge of the garment or anywhere around the body of a skirt or other garment with or without the facing-strip, the turning, hemming,ruiing, and facing being performed in a single operation.

ln the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are face views of a portion of a sewing-machine and my improved attachment operatively mounted thereon, the shirring-pawl and its operating mechanism beingshown in different positions and the `faceplate seen in Fig. l being removed in Fig. 2 to disclose the interior mech anisrn. Fig. 3 isa top plan of the mechanism seen in Fig. 1. Figs. l1, 5, and 6 are sectional views taken, respectively, on linesLi 4i, Fig. l, 5 5, Fig. 2, and 6 6, Fig. 4. Fig. 7 isa sectional view taken on line 7 7, Fig. 4. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views, in side and end elevation, of the detached hemmer and turner seen in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive. Fig. 10 is a perspective view oit a portion oi a skirt with the ruiiie attached toits edge and showing the hem of the garment and overturned edge of the rutlie as produced by the devices seen in Figs. 8 and 9. Figs. '11 and 12 are side and end views of a modified former for turning the edges of the garment and rutile. Fig. 13 showsa ruie attached to the edge of the garment with a Afacing-strip stitched over the Joined edges, the overturned edges of the garment and rullle beingl produced by the devices seen in Figs. 11 and 112. Figs. 14, 15, and 16 are respectively top plan, side elevation, and end view o'li a iurther modilied former. Fig. 17 is a perspective View of a portion o1 the garment, showing' a rutile and facing-strip stitched thereto, the devices seen in Figs. .14, 15, and 1G showing the means ot overturliing the edge olE the ruiile.

Similar reference characters indicate co1- responding parts in all the views.

VIn order to rflemonstrate the pl-acticability oll my invention, Vl 'have shown portions el" an ordinary Singer sewing-niacinne, consisting able needle-bar 3, a pressei-ioot de, and a 'fabric-feed 5, all oi which parts are well-l nown and the moving' parts are operated in the usual manner-tl1atis, the needle-bar is operatively connected to and actuated by a rotary sbatte, and the feeding device 5 is operatively eon nected to and actuated by suitable roclcshalts 7 and 8,while the p1'esser-loot 1- may be raised and lowered by means ol.l a lever J.

The parts thus Alar described are o1 the ordinary construction found in the larger sewingn1achincs, and it is therefore thought to be unnecessary to enter into a detail description o1 the structure and mode ot' operation.

The mechanism inclosed within the head 1 is shielded or concealed by a l'aceplatc it), and in order to apply my invention to the machine this faceplate is provided with a vertical slot or opening l1 to receive a projecting portion o1 a head 12, which is secured directly to the needle-bar 35 and moves vertically therewith. A rulllingilevice, as a rulii'1ingblade 13, is operatively connected to and actuated by the reciprocating head 12, so that as the needle-bar is reciprocated in the act o i" stitching the rui'l'ling-blade 1? is moved hori,u Zontally back and forth toward and from the needles for the purpose oi forming the rul fie and feeding the same tothe needle or neef dles, as it is evident that one or more needles may be employed. Any suitable mechanism for transmitting motion from the ncedlebar to the rulliingbladc '13 may be ennpiloyed; but in the present instance l have shown the of a head i, a base-plate 2, a vertically-movhead 1 as provided with a bracket 14, to the front end of which is pivoted at 15 the upper end of a rock-arm 16, and the rui-flingblade 13 is pivotally mounted upon a stud 17,

which projects laterally from and is secured to the lower end of the arm 16. of the first kind is pivoted at 19 to the bracket 14, and one arm of this lever is connected by a link 2O to the head 12 on the needle-bar 3 while the other arm, which is the shorter, is connected by a link 21 to the intermediate portion of the rock-arm 16, so that when the needle-bar is elevated the rufling-blade 13 is forced forwardly or toward the needle for feeding the ruflie beneath the latter,and when the needle-bar is depressed the rufiiing-blade is drawn backwardly to obtain afresh grip upon the fabric of the ruiiie.

In the operation of a sewing-machine of this character the feeding' device 5 is arranged and operated to feed the fabric rearwardly while the needles are descending from their extreme upper position, while the mechanism which operates the rufiiing-blade 13 is a1'- ranged to feed the ruiiie forwardly as the needles/are beingmoved upwardly from their extreme lower position. lt is therefore apparent that when the rufiiing-blade 13 is moved toward the needle the fabric which is engaged thereby is fed toward the needle and gathered between the feeding edge of the ruffling-blade and needle to form the ruffle. The. movement of the rufiling-blade is sufficient to force the gathered portion of the fabric onto the feeding' device 5, by which the'fabric is carried forward beneath the presser-foot when the rufiiing-blade rccedes and the needle is elevated out of the fabric. In order that the portion of the ruiiie which is thus gathered may be held and pressed upon the feeding device 5, I provide the presser-foot 4E with a yielding' toe 22, which is mounted upon one end of a spring' 23, the other end being' secured to said presser-foot, and it therefore follows that when the ruftling-blade 13 is moved toward the needles its front end not only feeds the fabric of the ruffle forwardly beneath the presser-toe 2Q, but also slightly engages and elevates said toe 22 against the action of the spring 23 to relieve the pressure on the ruiiie and permit it to be fed under the presser-foot with greater ease and certainty; but immediately upon the recession of the pawl the presser-bai' 2Q operates to press the ruflie against the feeding device 5 preparatory to its entrance under the presser-foot 4t. This rufiling-blade 13 preferably consists of a thin spring-plate having its feeding edge toothed or serrated to more positively engage and feed the fabric, and while it is pivotally mounted upon the stud 17 it is normally held down by an additional sprino' Q4, which is coiled around the stud 17 and has one end engaged with the rock-arm 16 and its other end bearing upon a shoulder 25 of the ruiiiing-blade 13, a suit- A lever 18 i able handpiece 26 being also secured to the rutfling-blade. whereby the latter may be raised against the action of the spring Z4 when desired, and particularly when the fabric which forms the ruffle is first fed into the machine by hand.

It has been previously stated that this device is for the purpose of forming and attaching the rufiies to skirts and other garments,

and this implies that two pieces of fabric are Y fed through the machine simultaneously, one being the body or skirt of the garment and the other the fabric which forms the ruffle, and in order to permit the body of the fabric, as the skirt, to be fed smoothly through the machine without kinking and to prevent any retrograde or backward movement of the ruffle when its rufiiing-blade is being drawn backward I provide a spring-holding pawl or detent 27, which is secured in any desired manner to the bed-plate 2, and its forward edge is usually turned up and slightly sei'- rated to better engage and hold the fabric. The ruiiiing-blade 13 normally bears upon the holding-pawl when in its extreme backward position and rides forwardly beyond the serrated edge of the holding-pawl, and the pressure of this rufi'ling-blade 13 is sufficient to force the holding-pawl into contact with the upper face of the bed 2; but this holdingpawl is tensioned to spring upwardly away from the bed-plate when the ruining-blade 13 is elevated. The body of the skirt or garment to which the ruffle is to be applied is fed beneath the holding-pawl 27, while the fabric which forms the ruffle is fed between said pawls, so that the detent not only serves to straighten or smooth the main body while being' fed beneath the needles, but also prevents backward movement of the fold or gathering in the ruffle when the rufliingblade 13 is drawn backwardly. In forming these ruflies it is necessary to increase or diminish the fold or gather of the ruffle, as may be desired, and this is accomplished by regulating the amount of movement of the rufiiingblade 13, which is done by making' the connection between the lever 18 and link Q0 adjustable, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, in which the lever is shown as provided with a lengthwise slot Q8 for receiving a clamping screw or head 29 on the lever 20, whereby the rocking movement of the lever, and therefore the amount of movement of the rufiiing-blade 13, may be varied at will. It is also necessay in forming and applying' these ruffles to turn the edge of the ruffle inwardly as it is applied to the body of the skirt or other garment, and I have therefore shown a suitable guide or edge-turning attachment 30, which is secured to the bed-plate at a suitable distance from the presser-foot, said turning attachment being better seen in Figs. 6 and 7. These ruflies are sometimes joined to the edge of the garment, which is usually called head- IOO ing and ruiiling, in which instance the edge of the main body is turned into what is known as a hem 31, as seen in Fig'. i0, and when this is desired I apply a guide or hemming attachment 32, which is used in con nection with the turning' attachment 30, so that the hemming' of the g'arment and turning oit the rutile are formed while the ruiiie is being formed and stitched to the garment, these hemming and ruiiiing' devices being' clearly seen in Figs. 1 to 10, inclusive; AIn other instances it is necessary to join the ruiiie to the edge of the fabric and to apply a suitable facing to cover the junction oi the two pieces, and in this case I apply two turning devices 35 and 36, Figs. l1 and l2, one tor turning' the edge of the g'arment andthe other ior turning' the edge otl the rutiie, and the facing, as 37, which is previously prepared, is fed through a g'uide 58, rising from the presser-foot 4.

ll n applying' the rutile to the main body of the skirt or other garment, as seen in Fig. l?, a simple turning attachment li0, Figs. 15 and 16, employed to tui'n the edge ot the ruiiie, and in this instance a suitable facing 37 may be applied and stitched to the rutile and body oi the garment at their junction, as seen in Fig. 17.

Although l have shown and described several methods of turning the edges oi the garment and ruiiie preparatory to stitching the same together, it is evident that other attachments may be employed in connection with the main feature ot my inventionmviz., the operation of the riviliing-pawl 13 by means ot' the needle-bar 3.

Having thus described my invention, what i claim, and desire to seciu'e by Letters Pat ont, is

i. In a machine for forming and stitching' ruiiies to garments, the combination of a bedplate, a needle-bar and a pressert`oot having a yielding' toe, means to feed the garment under the pressen-foon a spring-detent above the bed-plate and forming a support for the ruiiiestrip, and a pivoted ruiiling-biade operatively connected to and actuated by the needle-bar to feed and rutile the strip under the yielding toe and to the garment-feeding device, said ruiiling-blade having a handpiece whereby it may be rocked on its pivot.

2. lfn a machine for forming and stitching' ruil-les to garments, the combination ot' a bedplate, a needle-bar and a presser-foot having a yielding' toe, means to feed the garment under the presser-foot, a spring-detent above the bed-plate and forming' a support 'for the ruiilestrip, and a ruiiling-blade operatively -connected to and actuated by the needle-bar to 'feed and ruiiie the strip under the yielding' toe and to the garment-feeding device, and a fac ing-strip g'uide above the ruile-st1'ipfeeding blade and terminating` near the front end of the presser-toot and at the rear oi' its yielding toe.

3. in a machine for iorming and stitching' ruii'les to garments, the combination ot a bedplate, a needle-bar and a presser-foothaving a yielding' toe, means to ifeed the garment under the presser-foot, a iixed spring-detent above the bed-plate and forming a support for the' rutile-strip, a ruii'ling-blade spring-pressed toward and movable along' the top face oi'l the detent to feed and rui'lie the strip under the presser-foot, means actuated by the needlebar and connected to operate the ruii'iing-blade, and a turning device at the rear end ot' the detent for turning over the edge oit' the ruining strip as it is fed along' the detent.

4. ln a ruiiiing sewing-machine, the combination of a bed plate, a needlebar and a presser-.toot having' a yielding' toe, ot' a fixed spring-detent above the bed-plate and torming a support for the milling-strip, a ru'filing'- blade springpressed toward and movable along the detent and operating' to iieed and rui-lle the strip under the toe, connections between 'the needle-bar and rutiling-blade for operating the latter, and a 'Facing-strip gi'lide terminating at the rear in `Front oi the yield ing toe to guide a faeing-strip beneath the presser-toot.

5. in a ruii'ling sewingmachine, the'combination with a lixed support and a reciprocitting' needle-bar, oi a lever oi` the iirst kind :iulcrumed on the support, a link having' one end attached to and moving with the needle-bar and its other end adjustably connected to one arm oi'I the lever to rock said lever, a rockarm having a i'ixed lulcrum, a second link connectu ed to transmit motion Yfrom the lever to the rock-arm, and a rui'iiing-blade pivoted to the free end oi' the rock-arm.

6. 1n a ruiiiing sewing-machine, the cpmbi nation with a bed-plate, needle-bar and feeding' device, oli a presser-foot having' a yielding' toe, an edgz-i-turning' device adjustably secured to the bed-plate :for turning` the edge of the rutile while being stitched to the garment, a holding-pawl projecting from said edgeturning device under the yielding' toe for su pporting' and preventing backward movement oi" the rutile-strip, and a ruining-blade ridingl on the holding-pawl and operatively connected to and actuated by the i'ieedle-bar.

1n witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand this 19th day oi" September, i903.

FRANK J. HUDSUN.

Witnesses:

1li. E. Crntsn, HOWARD i. Denison. 

